Jackson County in eastern Iowa stretches from the inland center around Maquoketa to a long Mississippi River frontage around Bellevue and Sabula. U.S. 61 provides a strong north-south reference through the Maquoketa side of the county, Iowa 62 links the interior toward Bellevue, and Iowa 64 runs eastward through the southern half toward the river. U.S. 52 follows the eastern river corridor, with U.S. 67 visible near Sabula. The terrain-and-water map adds the Mississippi River, Maquoketa River, North Fork Maquoketa River, and a dense network of creeks cutting through the interior hills. This page explains the supplied county, city, terrain-and-water, and elevation maps, and high-resolution JPG versions can be downloaded in a ZIP near the end of the article. High-resolution map files are available for download in the section below.
The easiest way to orient the county is to begin with Maquoketa in the southwest and Bellevue on the northeastern riverfront. Maquoketa is the main inland center and is marked with the county courthouse, while Bellevue and Sabula provide clear references for the Mississippi River side. Preston and Miles anchor the south, Andrew sits near the center, and Spragueville helps locate the interior east. The elevation sheet shows a strong contrast between the low river edge and the much higher, deeply dissected interior hills.
Table of Contents
Maquoketa connects U.S. 61 with Iowa 62 and Iowa 64
Maquoketa is the strongest first landmark on the general county map. U.S. 61 runs through the city and continues north toward the Zwingle area, while Iowa 62 heads toward Andrew and Bellevue. Iowa 64 travels east through the southern interior toward Preston, Miles, and the Sabula road network. These routes create a useful framework for the county before adding the smaller towns and rural roads.
La Motte and St. Donatus appear in the north, with Bellevue directly on the Mississippi River in the northeast. Sabula occupies the southeastern riverfront, where U.S. 52 and U.S. 67 are visible nearby. Andrew lies in the interior, Springbrook farther east, and Spragueville, Preston, and Miles provide references along the southern half. The general county map is intended for broad geographic orientation rather than live navigation, so current construction, closures, and exact access points should be checked with current transportation information.
The eastern county boundary follows the large bends of the Mississippi River, while the northwestern side has a stepped outline that extends around the northern interior. Roads provide a simple way to locate towns, but the water and elevation maps show why the landscape changes so quickly from the river lowlands to the inland ridge country.
Maquoketa and Bellevue lead a six-city pattern
The city map ranks Maquoketa first with a mapped population of 6,075 and Bellevue second at 2,259. Preston is third at 1,044, followed by Sabula at 547, Andrew at 423, and Miles at 398. The largest city is inland in the southwest, while the second-largest city sits directly on the Mississippi River, giving the county two very different geographic centers.
Maquoketa is the clearest reference for the inland south and west, and Bellevue for the northeastern riverfront. Preston and Miles help organize the southern interior, Andrew provides a central reference, and Sabula anchors the southeastern river edge. Dubuque, Clinton, and Jones counties are labeled around Jackson County on the city map, providing regional context.
The settlement pattern becomes more useful when it is compared with elevation. Bellevue and Sabula sit beside the broad low Mississippi River corridor, while Andrew and much of the Maquoketa interior are surrounded by closely spaced ridges and creek valleys. The northern St. Donatus and La Motte area is also heavily dissected, creating a much rougher relief pattern than the riverfront.
Mississippi River forms the broad eastern lowland
The Mississippi River is the dominant water feature on the terrain-and-water map. It follows the entire eastern side of Jackson County and widens into a complex river corridor around Bellevue and Sabula. On the elevation map, the river edge appears as a broad dark-green lowland, sharply separated from the tan and brown ridge country immediately to the west.
Several named lakes and backwater features are visible close to the river, including Bonnie Lake, Flat Lake, Upper Brown Lake, Joe Day Lake, Town Lake, and Spring Lake. These water bodies help define the eastern floodplain and river-edge landscape on the supplied map. Moving only a short distance inland, the relief becomes much more broken as creeks cut narrow valleys into the higher ground.
This sheet is intended for geographic reference rather than flood forecasting, current water levels, navigation, parcel boundaries, or legal water limits. Its main value is showing how the riverfront lowland and interior creek valleys fit around towns and roads. Current hydrologic or regulatory information should be checked with the responsible agency.
Maquoketa River and interior creeks cut the western hills
The Maquoketa River is a major interior waterway in the southwestern part of the terrain map, while the North Fork Maquoketa River creates another long valley farther north and west. Lytle Creek and Farmers Creek add branching corridors through the central uplands. These waterways are narrower than the Mississippi River but have a strong influence on the county’s relief because they cut deeply into the rolling surface.
Brush Creek crosses the east-central interior, and Mill Creek descends toward the Mississippi River in the northeast. North Branch Elk River appears in the southeast. On the elevation map, most of these stream corridors correspond with narrow green bands between higher tan and brown ridges, making the drainage network easy to connect with the terrain.
Maquoketa and Andrew are useful town references for the interior valleys. Bellevue helps connect Mill Creek with the Mississippi River side, while Sabula provides a reference for the southeastern riverfront and nearby tributary country. Pairing each area with a town makes the dense creek network easier to understand than studying the stream names by themselves.
Elevation ranges from 177 to 347 meters
The supplied elevation map shows an actual county range of about 177 to 347 meters, with a mean elevation of 246 meters. The lowest dark-green terrain follows the Mississippi River along the eastern boundary. Higher brown and dark-orange ground appears across much of the north and west, and the contrast is substantial: the mapped difference between the low and high ends reaches about 170 meters.
The northern high ground is not a single smooth plateau. Numerous short streams carve it into narrow ridges, while the Maquoketa River and North Fork Maquoketa River create lower valleys farther west and south. Farmers Creek, Brush Creek, and other tributaries continue the same pattern through the center. Near the Mississippi River, the broad lowland widens, but steeply dissected ridges return immediately to the west of the river corridor.
The elevation colors are designed for broad terrain comparison rather than survey-grade measurement. Exact parcel elevation, road grade, engineering design, or construction work requires original elevation data or professional surveying. For general map reading, the key pattern is the sharp transition from the Mississippi River lowland into the higher inland ridge-and-valley terrain.
Riverfront and interior maps reveal two different landscapes
The general map is easiest to read through roads such as U.S. 61, Iowa 62, and Iowa 64, while the terrain map is shaped by the Mississippi River and a dense network of interior creeks. Maquoketa is the strongest inland road reference, and Bellevue and Sabula are the clearest riverfront references. Andrew and Preston help connect the two settings across the central and southern interior.
Along the river, broad low ground and water channels dominate the view. Moving west and north, short ridges and deeply cut creek valleys appear in rapid succession. Using the road, city, water, and elevation maps together makes those differences much easier to see than relying on a single layer.
Choose the Jackson County map that fits the task
Use the general county map when you need towns and numbered roads in one view. It is the quickest way to compare Maquoketa, Bellevue, Sabula, Andrew, Preston, and Miles with U.S. 61, U.S. 52, U.S. 67, Iowa 62, and Iowa 64. The city map is better when the goal is to compare the six highlighted communities and the population ranking shown on the supplied graphic.
The terrain-and-water map is best for the Mississippi River, Maquoketa River, North Fork Maquoketa River, Farmers Creek, Brush Creek, and the named riverfront lakes. The elevation map adds the 177–347 m range and makes the low eastern river corridor and higher northern-western interior immediately visible.
The WebP images in the article are optimized for quick browser viewing. For printing, classroom use, presentations, or closer comparison, the ZIP below contains the county, major-city, terrain-and-water, and elevation maps as high-resolution JPG files. They are general-reference graphics and do not replace legal boundary records, current transportation data, flood information, or precise survey measurements.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which map is best for locating Maquoketa and Bellevue?
The general county map is the best starting point. Maquoketa is the main inland center in the southwest, while Bellevue lies on the Mississippi River in the northeast. U.S. 61, Iowa 62, Iowa 64, Sabula, Andrew, and Preston are also labeled on the same sheet.
What are the main waterways shown in Jackson County?
The Mississippi River dominates the eastern edge, while the Maquoketa River and North Fork Maquoketa River cross the interior. Farmers Creek, Brush Creek, Mill Creek, and North Branch Elk River are also labeled, along with several riverfront lakes and backwater areas.
What does the 177–347 m elevation range show?
The elevation map shows the lowest terrain along the Mississippi River and higher ground across much of the northern and western interior. The mapped mean elevation is 246 meters. Precise site elevations require original elevation data or professional survey information.
Map File Information
The ZIP contains four high-resolution JPG maps for Jackson County, Iowa: county, major cities, terrain and water, and elevation.
- Included Files: Use only the versions confirmed in the article and supplied images
- File Type: Use the confirmed download contents
- Intended Use: Printing, education, presentations, and map-based projects
Related Maps
Sources and reference data
The links below provide authoritative U.S. government source data for county boundaries, hydrography, and elevation represented in the supplied map set.
These maps are intended for general geographic reference, learning, printing, and visual comparison. Legal boundaries, ownership, current road conditions, flood risk, water levels, and precise elevations should be checked against the responsible agency’s current records.
Green Map creates custom-edited map images using open geographic data sources such as geoBoundaries, Natural Earth, OpenStreetMap, and government open data.
These maps are edited visual materials, not raw data files, and are provided for education, documents, presentations, and graphic reference.
